Head (film)

Head is a motion picture released in 1968, starring TV rock group The Monkees (in credit order: Peter Tork, Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith), and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was written and produced by Bob Rafelson and Jack Nicholson, and directed by Rafelson.

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The film featured Victor Mature as "The Big Victor" and other cameo appearances by Jack Nicholson, Dennis Hopper, Teri Garr, Annette Funicello, Toni Basil (the film's choreographer), Frank Zappa, and athletes Sonny Liston and Ray Nitschke.

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Head is essentially plotless, a seemingly stream of consciousness stringing-together of musical numbers, satire of various movie genres, elements of psychedelia, and references to topical issues such as the Vietnam War. Trailers for the film summarized it as a "most extraordinary adventure, western, comedy, love story, mystery, drama, musical, documentary satire."

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The storylines and peak moments of the movie came from a weekend visit to a resort in Ojai, California, where The Monkees, Rafelson and Nicholson brainstormed into a tape recorder. When the band learned that they not only weren't receiving screenwriting credit (since they didn't write the actual shooting script), but would not be allowed to direct themselves, three of the members staged a one-day walkout, leaving Tork the only Monkee on the set the first day. The incident forever damaged The Monkees' relationship with Rafelson and Bert Schneider.

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Filmed at Screen Gems Studios and on various locations in California (Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco; Pasadena Rose Bowl, Pasadena; Playa Del Rey; Bronson Canyon; Palm Springs; Columbia Ranch, Burbank), Utah (Valley Music Hall, Salt Lake City), and The Bahamas between February 15 and May 17, 1968, the movie makes fun of the band's image and the bandmember's personae. The song "Ditty Diego - War Chant" is a parody of the band's TV theme song written by Boyce and Hart; its lyrics illustrate the self-parodizing tone evident in parts of the film:

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Hey, hey, we are The Monkees,

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You know we love to please,

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A manufactured image

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With no philosophies.

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We hope you'll like our story,

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Although, there isn't one,

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That is to say, there's many,

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That way, there is more fun.

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You told us you like action

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And games of many kinds

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You like to dance you, like to sing

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So let's all loose our minds!

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We know it doesn't matter

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'Cause what you came to see

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You know we'd love to give you

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And give it one, two, three!

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But it may come three, two, one, two

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Or jump from nine to five,

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And when you see the end in sight

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The beginning may arrive.

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To those who look for meanings

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In form as they do fact

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We might just tell you one thing

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But we'd only take it back!

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Not back like in a box back

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Not back like in a race

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Not back so you can keep it

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But back in time and space!

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You say were manufactured.

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To that we all agree.

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So make your choice and we'll rejoice

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In never being free!

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Hey Hey we are The Monkees

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We've said it all before;

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The money's in, were made of tin,

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We're here to give you more!

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The money's in, were made of tin

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We're here to give you...

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The 86-minute Head premiered in New York City on November 6, 1968. (The film later debuted in Hollywood on November 20.) It was not a commercial success. This was in part because Head, being an antithesis of The Monkees TV show, comprehensively demolished the group's carefully-groomed public image, while the older, hipper audience they'd been reaching for rejected the Monkees' efforts out of hand.

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The movie was also delayed in its release (oweing partly to the use of solarization, a then-new technique both labourious and expensive), and badly under-promoted. (The sole television commercial was a confusing, minimalist still-shot of a man's head; after thirty seconds, the man smiled and the name HEAD appeared on his forehead.)

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The film was later released on video by RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video in September 1986 (taking advantage of the group's 20th Anniversary) and by Rhino Entertainment in January 1995.

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Motion picture: REDIRECT Film...

TV: REDIRECT television...

Rock group: REDIRECT Musical ensemble#Rock and pop bands...

Head (film) related Images and Photos (experimental)

Film	Film Fun	Head Banger	Head Office (DVD)
HEAD tag hat	Film Cans Set, Gold	Head Automatica: Popaganda	Head Automatica: Popaganda
Film Cans Set, Silver	Bone Head	Lion Head	Head of St. Cosmas